After two near misses, Indore shooter strikes bronze at jr world c’ships in Germany

Litha.AchariIndore: Two months ago, Yug Pratap Singh Rathore, a 19-year-old shooter from Indore, left the ISSF Junior World Cup in Cairo with a touch of regret and that familiar feeling of so near but yet so far.

He had come within a touching distance of a medal, eventually finishing fourth in the men’s pistol event.On Monday evening, he made sure history would not repeat itself. Drawing on the lessons from Cairo and earlier international outings, Yug finally turned a series of near misses into a medal-winning performance in the men’s 10m air pistol event at the ISSF Junior World Championship in the German city of Suhl.After finishing eighth in the qualification round, the 19-year-old shooter surged into the lead during the early stages of the final before holding his nerve and ground to clinch bronze with a score of 217.5.The result gave him his first individual medal at a world championship, marking the biggest international achievement of his young career so far.The 19-year-old isn’t done yet as he has already set sights on the 25-metre air pistol at the junior world championships on Wednesday.Poland’s Ivan Rakitski won gold with 239.6 points while fellow Indian marksman Shiva Narwal took silver with 239.1 points.“In my previous two international competitions, the Asian Shooting Championship and Junior World Cup Cairo, I came very close to winning a medal.

The exposure and experience gained at those international events boosted my confidence, going into Cairo. Though the competition was very tough, I drew on my experience at the previous two events to soak up the pressure and win a medal for my country,” Yug told TOI from Germany.The bronze medal marks the latest step in a breakthrough year for the Indore shooter. Earlier this year, he represented India at the Asian Shooting Championship in Delhi, securing second place in the 25m standard pistol event.

He followed it with a fourth-placed finish at the ISSF Junior World Cup in Cairo, narrowly missing the podium. Rather than discouraging him, those near misses strengthened his resolve and prepared him for the World Championship stage.His journey into shooting began long before he started receiving formal training. Growing up, he watched his grandfathers and relatives handle firearms, developing a fascination and keen interest for the sport.

At the age of 14, his school coach, retired Major Subedar Rajkumar Chauhan, spotted his natural shooting posture and calm temperament and convinced his family to support his sporting ambitions.“He told us Yug had the temperament necessary to excel in shooting at the highest levels. Since then, he has remained disciplined and focused. We are extremely proud of him and wish he wins us a medal at the Olympics someday,” his father, Yagyapal Singh Rathore, told TOI.Now training under former Olympian and coach PN Prakash at the MP Shooting Academy in Bhopal, Yug has steadily risen through the ranks. A student of BA Economics at Symbiosis, Pune, he balances academics with rigorous training, yoga and meditation, aiming for the bull’s eye on both fronts.